Assetto Corsa EVO ditches original career mode concept

• Early access development plans for Assetto Corsa EVO’s career mode have changed
• XP, in-game cash and economy-based progression plan cancelled
• Single player will still feature, built around a completely reworked Driving Academy
• The change in strategy proviedes “more freedom” to focus on other features

Assetto Corsa EVO’s planned career mode has been radically changed as it progresses through early access.

An official statement by the title’s publishers, 505 Games, and developers, Kunos Simulazioni, has today (4th February 2026) confirmed the altered approach.

Presently, there is a basic Driving Academy, with licence tests per circuit. But it doesn’t feel meaningful, as in this work-in-progress state, such rewards don’t unlock set events or tie to other elements.

There are the fundamentals for a currency-based car ownership model; you must ‘buy’ cars to add to your garage using cash earned from races, but again, presently unfinished. You can also freely test and race all content in ‘Open Mode’.

The initial plan was to create a cohesive career structure, with car tuning and experience points factored in alongside the licences and economy.

“After careful evaluation and many internal conversations, we’ve decided to move away from the current Career mode and in-game economy systems,” reads the statement.

“This means features such as XP, virtual currency, and economy-based progression will no longer be part of the experience.

This decision wasn’t taken lightly, but it allows us to focus on building a clearer, more authentic experience that better reflects what our community values and supports the long-term vision of the game.”

As the game has progressed through various updates, it looks as if multiplayer – Daily Races were added in December 2025 – and the highly anticipated Germany-set free roam modes have become priorities.

The latter was showcased further last month, with an impressive trailer showing detailed environments and high-density NPC traffic. It is also set to lean into the competitive sim racing market further, too.

“We’re investing in a set of competitive features and special events built around online leaderboards, hotstints, and other focused game modes.

These experiences are designed to offer clear goals, replayability, and healthy competition, without the limitations of a traditional economy system.”

What’s next for Assetto Corsa EVO’s single player?

The team is keen to stress that while its original career mode vision has been scrapped, those who are interested in single-player progression away from multiplayer will still have a reason to drive in EVO.

“The single-player experience will continue to grow through a completely reworked Driving Academy, designed to be a meaningful tool for learning, improving driving skills, and mastering cars and tracks,” it explains.

Presently, the Academy feels shallow, and this ephemeral experience is one of the Traxion team’s current critiques of the early access title. This sounds like a positive step, to listen to feedback and address this area.

“While the original Career mode won’t be part of the final direction, providing meaningful structure for solo play remains very important to us.

“Our goal is to guide progression through skill, learning, and competition, rather than through an artificial economy, while continuing to support well-received features like vehicle tuning.”

Focussed on the fundamentals

With the career mode reduced in scope, for now, Kunos claims that development on EVO “has never been more intense”, and that it has gained “more freedom to focus on what matters most behind the wheel.”

It cites a renewed focus on improving and adding to the simulation systems, modding, multiplayer, competitive features, user interface and the aforementioned free-roam as its key aims, alongside the “richer and more flexible single-player content”.

The next update is labelled as 0.5 and is expected imminently. Currently, the Watkins Glen Circuit, BMW M2 and Toyota AE86 are confirmed for inclusion, with the rest of the content and changes expected to be announced ahead of its release.

Assetto Corsa EVO career statement in full

With Release 0.5, we want to take a moment to share an important update about the direction of Assetto Corsa EVO, shaped by ongoing discussion and feedback from our community.

After careful evaluation and many internal conversations, we’ve decided to move away from the current Career mode and in-game economy systems. This means features such as XP, virtual currency, and economy-based progression will no longer be part of the experience.

This decision wasn’t taken lightly, but it allows us to focus on building a clearer, more authentic experience that better reflects what our community values and supports the long-term vision of the game.

Rather than simply removing structure, this change allows us to replace the Career mode with experiences that are more directly focused on driving and improvement.

The single-player experience will continue to grow through a completely reworked Driving Academy, designed to be a meaningful tool for learning, improving driving skills, and mastering cars and tracks.

Alongside this, we’re investing in a set of competitive features and special events built around online leaderboards, hotstints, and other focused game modes. These experiences are designed to offer clear goals, replayability, and healthy competition, without the limitations of a traditional economy system.

By simplifying the overall structure, we gain more freedom to focus on what matters most behind the wheel: driving quality, racing, and simulation depth. It also allows the team to move faster and spend more time polishing systems that many of you care deeply about, including:

• Deeper racing and simulation systems
• Strong modding foundations
• Future community-driven multiplayer options
• Richer and more flexible single-player content
• Competitive features and special events based on leaderboards and time-based challenges
• Free-roam development and ongoing UI improvements

While the original Career mode won’t be part of the final direction, providing meaningful structure for solo play remains very important to us. Our goal is to guide progression through skill, learning, and competition, rather than through an artificial economy, while continuing to support well-received features like vehicle tuning.

Looking Ahead

Release 0.5 is a meaningful step forward in variety and usability, with new content to drive, UI and performance improvements and the aim of being a foundation for what will come up next.

Assetto Corsa EVO development has never been more intense, and with every Early Access update, the goal is to deliver at our best towards our vision of Driving, Simulation, Evolved.